DECEMBER 13TH

Today in the Revolution ...

First incident of the Revolution — 400 militia attack Fort William & Mary in New Hampshire.

POOR RICHARD'S ALMANACK

He that spends a Groat a day idly, spends idly above 6 l. [pounds sterling] a year, which is the Price of using 100 l.

— Benjamin Franklin,1737

AMERICANREVOLUTION.ORG

A RELIC OF THE REVOLUTION

CHAPTER I.

The Dolton sailed - Was taken - Breach of
Honor -Treatment, &c. - Disagreeable Lodgings - Advantage
of being small - A Report - English Women - Royal Salute - Removed
- A Prize brought in - Daily Allowance an board His Majesty's
Ships - The Charming Sally - Orders.

THE brig DOLTON sailed from Newburyport, November
15th, 1776, and from Portsmouth, on the 26th of the same month,
and on the 24th of December following, about nine o'clock in
the evening, we were taken by the Reasonable, man-of-war,
of sixty-four guns. As her cruise was over, she was bound to
Plymouth, England. the first lieutenant of the ship was the first
man that boarded us, and he ordered us all on board the ship
as fast as the boats could carry us, and would give us no time
to collect our clothes, promising us, however, upon his word
and honor, that we should have them all sent on board the next
day. Some of our company trusted to this assurance, but I thought
it not best to do the like. I was stationed upon the main-top
when we were taken, and had not so good an opportunity to save
my clothes, as those below; yet I saved more than any of the
foremast hands; for as soon as I found that we were taken, I
made all speed from the top down to my chest. I broke it open
and shifted myself from head to foot-putting on two shirts, a
pair of drawers and breeches, and trowsers over them; two or
three jackets, and a pair of new shoes,and then filled my bosom
and pockets as full as I could well carry. Afterwards, I found
it was well for me that I did so; for when the clothes were brought
on board, we found that all the best of them had been culled
out, and nothing but a few rags and a dozen old blankets were
sent to us.

After we came on board, we were ordered upon
the quarter-deck, and from there down into the cable-tier, where
we found very disagreeable lodgings, having nothing but the bare
cable to lay upon, and that very uneven. Besides this,
we were almost suffocated with heat. Being, however, very much
fatigued, I slept about two hours, as soundly as if I had been
upon a bed of down. When I awoke I crawled aft upon the cable,
where was the sentinel, and spent the remainder of the night
in conversation with him.

In the morning the boys were called
by the officers of the ship to come upon deck. Now, thinks I
to myself, there is an advantage in being small. I'll embrace
this opportunity, and try for my liberty upon deck, too. Accordingly,
I went up, and no sooner were we on deck than we were thronged
about by the seamen. They told us that a few hours after they
took us, they spoke twelve or fourteen sail of transports, bound
to New York, under convoy of a frigate, and she had thrown her
guns overboard in a storm. I learned that the name of the Captain
of the ship which had taken us, was Thomas Fitzherbert.

[The journal of the remainder of the passage
to Plymouth, England, has been lost, and the next record commences
some day or two after their arrival in this port.]

1777. January 15th. This morning our officers
were brought on board again. We hear that the British troops
have taken " Fort Washington," with the loss of eight
hundred men.

16. A number of seamen's wives came on board
to-day, and upon being told that they had American prisoners
on board, "Have you?" said one to the other; "What
sort of people are they?" "Are they white?" "Can
they talk?"

Upon being pointed to where some of them stood,
"Why!" exclaimed they, "they look like our people,
and they talk English."

17. Nothing remarkable.

18. To-day is the Queen's birth-day, and every
ship in the harbor that is in commission, fired twenty-one guns,
as a royal salute.

19. Sunday. To-day we were removed from the
Reasonable to the Bellisle, a ship of sixty-four guns, after
having been on board the Reasonable twenty-seven days. Here we
lodged in the cable-tier, on boards laid over the cable, which
is better than we had on board the Reasonable.

20. Nothing remarkable.

22. Last Sunday, "a prize" was brought
in here, which proved to be the brig Triton, from Newburg, Captain
Tileston, master. The captain was sent on shore and made his
escape.

23. Nothing occurred worthy of notice.

24. To-day, two ships-of-war sailed from the
sound. The Southampton, of thirty-six guns, and the Thetis, of
thirty-two guns.

25. There has been a great market on board
to-day.

26. Sunday. But very little respect paid to
the day.

27. The daily allowance on board His Majesty's
ships, is: Sunday, pork and peas; Monday, birgu, butter and cheese;
Tuesday, beef and pudding; Wednesday, birgu and peas, butter
and cheese; Thursday, pork and peas; Friday, birgu and peas,
butter and cheese; Saturday, beef and pudding; a pint of wine,
or half a pint of rum, when at sea; and when in port, beer in
abundance, and fresh meat twice in a week.

28. To-day I received a pair of stockings,
a present from one of the seamen.

30. This morning, the captain, doctor and
servant, of the privateer sloop Charming Sally, from America,
came on board this ship. They inform us that they were taken
the 16th of January, by the None-Such, man-of-war, sixty-four
guns, and have been well used; having been on full allowance,
till they came on board this ship; and the captain that took
them allowed them all their clothes and bedding.

31. It is a time of general colds with us,
and about eighteen of our number are sick.

February 1. Windy, cold, blustering, unsteady
weather.

2. Nothing worthy of record.

4. We are told that orders have been received
from London, to repair all the prisons along shore.